Houston Criminal
Law Blog
Extortion vs. Blackmail: What’s The Difference?
Posted on December 18, 2013 by Mintzer Law
The similarities between extortion and blackmail frequently lead to people confusing the two. Both are theft crimes involving threats, but there are differences in the conduct prohibited by the Texas Penal Code for each crime. Extortion Extortion is a theft crime involving the use of coercion to obtain money, property or services from a victim. Coercion is usually in the form of a threat of violence, a...
Read the full post»How Ponzi Schemes Generate Wealth – Until Your Busted
Posted on December 11, 2013 by Mintzer Law
Fraudulent investment schemes have been in the news over the past few years as unscrupulous individuals stole millions of dollars from people enticed by the opportunity to earn extraordinarily high returns on their investments. The most common form of investment fraud is the pyramid scheme. How a Pyramid Scheme Functions In a typical pyramid scheme, the person committing the fraud recruits investors with the promise of returns...
Read the full post»Forgery: 4 Strategies Used to Replicate a Signature
Posted on December 4, 2013 by Mintzer Law
Forgery is usually part of a fraudulent scheme designed to steal money or property from an innocent victim. In its simplest form, forgery involves duplicating a person’s signature. This form of identity theft is rarely the work of a professional forger. Forged signatures are usually the work of individuals with rudimentary forgery skills who rely upon three common methods: simulation, tracing, cut and paste, and...
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